A Study of Revelation BABYLON, JUDGMENT, AND PARADISE REGAINED

A Study of Revelation PART 4 Revelation 17:1-22:21 BABYLON, JUDGMENT, AND PARADISE REGAINED LESSON 1 Revelation 17:1-17:6 THE VISION OF THE FALSE CHURCH Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (Revelation 22:7) REV 17:1-6 Introduction REV 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. In the Apostle John's day five empires had risen and fallen: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece in that order. Rome was the empire that existed when John wrote Revelation. The Babylonian religious system, and her daughters, dominated these six empires. 1 As we will see in the next lesson, the seven heads of Revelation 17:3 represent seven empires of which the above mentioned are the first six, while a revived Roman Empire will represent the seventh. In this lesson we will discuss the influence of the Babylonian religious systems on the religions and empires of the world. It will be natural to point out the influence that the Babylonian system has had on the Catholic Church, but it must be made perfectly clear that the Harlot of Revelation 17 cannot be Papal Rome alone since Papal Rome did not exist during the six empires preceding the seventh, or revived Rome. 2 The final Harlot religious system before the Antichrist demands worship of himself will be much more than the Catholic Church, it will most likely be an amalgam of apostate Christianity, including Catholic and Protestant, other world religions including Islam, and especially new age beliefs such as taught by Oprah Winfrey and Shirley MacLaine and their gurus. 3 Mystery Babylon Nimrod founded Babylon, the cradle of civilization, on the shores of the Euphrates River in what is now modern Iraq. Nimrod was in rebellion against God. He formed cities for commercial and social purposes contrary to God's command in Genesis 8:17 to "be fruitful and multiply upon the earth." From Babylon originated self- 1 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 16, 17. Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 199. Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 252. 2 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 254. 3 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 254. 1

government apart from God and false religion in defiance of God's will. This rebellion of government and religion has continued to the present time, and has enslaved men in superstitious darkness. 4 Who is Nimrod? History at this juncture is a little confusing. Historically it may be that Nimrod is the same as the Babylonian King known as Belus (Bel, Baal), the first king to be deified. His son was Ninus, of which the city of Nineveh was named. However, Semiramis is said to be alternately wife and mother of Ninus. 5 But if Nimrod is Ninus, and Belus is his father, then Cush is Belus, the founder of Babylon. 6 Cush, the son of Ham, is said to be the leader of the great apostasy. Cush is also said to be represented as Hermes or Mercury in mythology. Mercury (or Hermes) was considered the interpreter of the words of men and divided the nations. Hermes, or Cush, then was the instigator of the rebellion against God. It is worthy to note that Hermes is an Egyptian synonym for "Son of Ham." Cush may have begun the walls and tower, and his son Nimrod was the finisher, together with Semiramis. 7 GEN 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. Man built for his own glory. The tower represents a world effort. It was therefore the first example of the joining of religion and politics as world religion and world government. 8 GEN 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. This verse is the first acknowledgement of the power of unifying effort and thought. The early Church was a unified movement throughout the book of Acts beginning with that prayer meeting held in the upper room at Jerusalem. ACT 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. ACT 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Babylonian Mystery Religion developed around tradition concerning Nimrod, his wife Semiramis, and her child Tammuz. Babylonian Worship was carried on through symbols (a mystery religion). 9 The Death of Nimrod and the Mystery Religion A rift occurred between Semiramis and Nimrod when she was found to have been pregnant with an illegitimate son. To maintain power she overthrew Nimrod and had him torn into pieces by drug crazed priests. Semiramis installed the illegitimate son Tammuz as King. The name Tammuz is from "Damu" meaning blood, in Greek, Adonis. Or his name may be from "tam," meaning to "make perfect," and "muz," meaning fire. Putting both words together means "perfecting fire." 10 Since fire was a representation of Baal (Nimrod), candles are lighted in his honor. Votive candles are lighted as part of Roman Catholic worship. 11 4 LaHaye, REVELATION ILLUSTRATED AND MADE PLAIN, p. 224. 5 ROLLIN'S ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE ASSYRIANS: SECTIONS I-II, Infonautics Corporation, 1998. 6 Rev. Alexander Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1916, 1943, 1959, pp. 25, 28, 29. S. A. Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Reno, NV: The Write House, Ltd., 1994, Vol. 1, p. 70. 7 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 28, 30, 31. Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, pp. 70, 71. 8 Dave Hunt, A WOMAN RIDES THE BEAST, Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1994, p. 53. 9 Ralph Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, Riverside, CA: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, 1966, pp. 9, 10. 10 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, p. 90. Bryce Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON, www.ldolphin.org. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 56. 11 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 10. 2

Tammuz was born on 25 December. 12 his symbols. 13 Tammuz was the son of the Sun-god, and the golden calf was one of EXO 32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Tammuz eventually killed his own mother in a power struggle. 14 Maimonides calls Tammuz a false prophet who advocated worship of the Zodiac and the seven stars of the Pleiades. 15 Tradition states that Shem had Tammuz executed, and on that night supposedly all the images (demons) around the world wept all night. 16 Thus the practice of weeping for Tammuz on the first day of the month of Tammuz, mid (June/July), was begun. 17 This tradition of the death of Tammuz might very well refer to the death of Nimrod. The story is similar to that of the Egyptian story of Osiris. Osiris is considered to be Nimrod as well as Tammuz. The women of Egypt wept for Osiris as the Phoenician and Assyrian women wept for Tammuz. Women in Greece and Rome wept for Bacchus. Both Osiris and Bacchus (as represented by a spotted fawn) were torn apart. 18 EZE 8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Now notice that in a version of the Death of Nimrod (Osiris), Shem (Sem, Hercules) petitioned the Egyptian courts for the trial and execution of Nimrod for his great apostasy. 19 Nimrod was then cut into fourteen pieces that were distributed to each city in the empire. 20 Semiramis (Isis) searched for every part of Nimrod's body and had it buried wherever it was found. This was the origin of relic worship. 21 This Babylonian and Egyptian relic worship became integral with Buddhism and Greek paganism, as well as veneration practiced by Roman Catholicism. 22 Embedded in every Catholic altar there is a relic, usually a fragment of the bones of a Catholic saint. Nimrod became a false messiah after his death. 23 Semiramis now claimed that Nimrod was the Sun-god Baal, and when she gave birth to her son Tammuz, she claimed that he was the reincarnation of Nimrod. 24 The doctrine of reincarnation began. Satan clumsily counterfeits the resurrection of Christ. 25 Semiramis also claimed that Tammuz was supernaturally conceived. Semiramis was claiming for Tammuz, that he was the "promised Seed." This initiated the mother-child cult that has pervaded many cultures, including the Madonna and Child of the Catholic tradition. 26 GEN 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This is one of the elements of the mystery religion still with us today and is part of what Paul calls "the mystery of iniquity" in Second Thessalonians. 27 2TH 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 12 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, p. 27. See also Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 93. 13 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 10. 14 Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. 15 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 90. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 62. 16 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 90. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 62, 63. 17 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, pp. 90, 91. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 62. 18 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 56. 19 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, pp. 87-89. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 63-66. 20 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, pp. 87, 89. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 63, 64, 179. Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 9. 21 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 89. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 179. Loraine Boettner, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, Phillipsburg, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962, pp. 13, 150, 288-292. 22 Boettner, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, pp. 13. Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 87. 23 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 88. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 72, 181. 24 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, pp. 89, 90, 93. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 58, 59, 151. Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 9. 25 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 93. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 58, 59, 69, 70. 26 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 247. Ironside, REVELATION, p. 188. Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, p. 83. 27 Ironside, REVELATION, p. 188. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 4, 7-11. 3

EZE 8:13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. In the Egyptian version, Osiris, whose wife/sister/daughter is Isis and their child is Horus, was murdered by his brother Set. Set cut Osiris' body into fourteen pieces. Isis recovered all pieces except his private parts, which had been cast into the sea. Horus defeated Set, and Osiris was proclaimed a resurrected god, and his body parts were encased in fourteen different statues. 28 You can begin to see how these stories were used and expanded upon by the various cultures, including development of the Greek and Roman gods, and that they had their roots in Nimrod, Semiramis, and the Babylonian Mystery Religion. Phallic Worship Phallic worship originated with reverence of the missing private parts of Osiris [Nimrod]. 29 According to Diodorus, Semiramis erected a 130 feet tall obelisk in Babylon. The obelisk was originally associated with Sun worship, a symbol of "Baal," a title of Nimrod. The Sun being considered the source of life, the phallus, or male sexual organ, was also considered a symbol of life, and was therefore represented by the obelisk as well. Many of these obelisks stood in Egypt. One was eventually transferred to Rome and now stands in front of St. Peters in the Vatican. The Washington monument in Washington DC is an obelisk of this type. 30 Nimrod in Mythology Nimrod is known, among other names, variously, to the Greeks, Hercules; the Egyptians, Osiris and Horus; the Greeks, Apollo; and even Baal. Nimrod and his followers were the Greek Titans. It should be noted that Shem was considered the primitive or ancient Hercules. The line of Shem, one of Noah s three sons, is the line of the Semites or Israel. Hercules was considered to be Nimrod by the later Greeks and Assyrians. 31 Nimrod was symbolized by Sun images, fish, trees, pillars, and animals. 32 Paul refers to the practice of image worship in his day: ROM 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: The Whole Earth Was One GEN 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. There were undoubtedly cities by the time of the Tower of Babel in different parts of the immediate world. There were social and economic classes, even kings, but no government divisions and little governmental restraints. Ancient Sumerian records indicate that city leaders were benevolent judges with little or no judicial authority. 33 GEN 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. Nimrod's kingdom is the first kingdom mentioned in the Bible. 34 According to tradition, Nimrod, a Hamite, came up by water, possibly from the region of Ethiopia, through the Persian Gulf with an army. He conquered the area of the Middle East known as the Plains of Shinar, Modern Iraq. A tradition states that during the battles Nimrod met his future wife Semiramis, who was an inn/brothel keeper in the city of Erech. 35 28 Robert Keith Spenser, THE CULT OF THE ALL-SEEING EYE, Palmdale, CA: Omni Publications, Monte Cristo Press, 1964, p. 34. 29 Spenser, THE CULT OF THE ALL-SEEING EYE, p. 34. 30 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, pp. 39, 40. 31 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, Vol. 1, pp. 88-90. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 63, 66. J. Garnier, THE WORSHIP OF THE DEAD OR THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF PAGAN IDOLATRY AND ITS BEARING UPON THE EARLY HISTORY OF EGYPT AND BABYLONIA, London, Eng., Chapman & Hall, Ltd, 1909, pp. 23, 24. 32 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 10. 33 Noah W. Hutchings, GOD DIVIDED THE NATIONS, Oklahoma, City, OK: The Southwest Radio Church, 1981, pp. 13, 14. 34 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 8. 35 Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. 4

The Mother and Child Cult Semiramis is a Greek form of Sammur-amat, or "gift of the sea." "Sammur" in Hebrew becomes "Shinar," the name for lower Mesopotamia, "the land of Shinar," or Semiramis. To hide the fact that she was an ex-harlot, the fiction that she was a virgin sprung from the sea at Nimrod's landing was concocted (gift of the sea). Thus, Semiramis' original name is lost. 36 Semiramis originated the "mystery religion," which included astrology. Semiramis is also known as Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and fertility. She became Isis in Egypt; Venus in Rome; Aphrodite in Greece, Astarte in Phoenicia, Diana in Ephesus, and Ashtoreth in Israel. 37 The mystery religion has as its premise that the Great Dragon is the rightful heir of the Universe who has been overthrown and will one day be restored by a child born of a divine mother. The result is the worship of the heavenly hosts (fallen angels) through astrology. 38 Modern day dabbling into Eastern Religions and the environment through Gaia, or mother earth, worship is another example. Shirley MacLane standing on the seashore with outstretched arms proclaiming "I am God" is part of the mystery religion. Emperor worship has been a part of this as well. 39 Semiramis is the origin of the mother and child cult of various religions, including Roman Catholicism. 40 Semiramis and Tammuz were worshipped in Babylon. The legend of the mother and child was incorporated into the Babylonian religious rites and is repeated in various pagan religions. The mother and child motif is part of Roman Catholicism. 41 The Phoenicians had Ashtoreth and Tammuz. The Greeks worshipped Aphrodite and Eros. 42 The Hindu have Ushas and Vishnu. 43 The Chinese had a virgin goddess called Shingmoo, with child in her arms. In Germany the mother was called Hertha, in Scandinavia she was Disa, the Etruscans called her Nutria, to the Druids she was Virgo-Patitura, the Indians called her Indrani. She was Nana to the Sumerians, to the Romans she was Venus or Fortuna, and her child was Jupiter. She is Devaki and her child Crishna, as well as Isi and her child Iswara in India. In Asia she is Cybele and her child Deoius. Babylonianism indeed became the religion of the world. 44 As Nimrod became Baal, the female deity would be Baalti, which translated means "My Lady." In Latin it would be "Mea Domina." The Italians would call her "Madonna." 45 See Appendix, Figure 1. This is a result of the merger of paganism with the church during the time of Constantine. The Priests of Babylon When Babylon was finally destroyed the priests fled to Pergamos where they resumed their practice of the mystery religion. They later migrated to Rome and propagated the ancient cult under the name of the Etruscan Mysteries. It was at Pergamos where the altar to Zeus was set up. This altar was later brought to Berlin by Hitler, where it remains on display today. Interestingly, our president Obama s Democratic nomination at Denver, Colorado in 2008 took place on a stage designed around this altar to Zeus (Appendix, Figure 2). Rome eventually became the headquarters of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. The high priest took the title "Pontifex Maximus." The chief priest wore a mitre on his head in the shape of a fish in honor of Dagon, the fish-god, the lord of life. The Catholic pope today wears such a mitre. All Roman emperors down to Constantine the Great assumed the title "Pontifex Maximus". Constantine was the head of both the church and state. The title was later conferred to the succeeding bishops of Rome. Thus the Pope is by title, in effect, the direct successor of the high priest of the Babylonian mysteries. Many of the Babylonian practices and teachings were absorbed into the Roman Catholic Church. 46 According to theologian Dr. John Walvoord: Babylon is the source of counterfeit religion sometimes in the form of pseudo Christianity, sometimes in the form of pagan religion. Its most confusing form, however, is found in Romanism. 47 36 Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. 37 Cranfill, THEY CAME FROM BABEL, p. 90. Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. Garnier, THE WORSHIP OF THE DEAD OR THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF PAGAN IDOLATRY AND ITS BEARING UPON THE EARLY HISTORY OF EGYPT AND BABYLONIA, pp.70, 258, 314. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 62. 38 Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. 39 Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. 40 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 20, 21. Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 13. Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 193. 41 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 247. Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, pp. 13-15. 42 Ironside, REVELATION, p. 188. 43 Lambert Dolphin, Ph.D., THE TOWER OF BABEL AND THE CONFUSION OF LANGUAGES, www.ldolphin.org. 44 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, pp. 13-15. Ironside, REVELATION, pp. 188, 189. 45 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p.18. 46 Ironside, REVELATION, p. 190. Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, pp. 193, 194. Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, pp. 246-248. Cairns, CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE CENTURIES: A History of the Christian Church, pp. 124, 125, 129. 47 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 246. 5

Development of the Hierarchical Church As the early church grew in numbers the Apostles began to appoint elders and bishops to oversee the new churches that sprung up around the empire. In the early era of Christianity all those holding the office of bishop were considered equals. It wasn t until sometime between 313 and 450AD that the bishop of Rome gained the ascendancy over the other bishops. It was during the time period between 313 and 590AD that the church became the Roman Catholic Church and the ritual of the church became more elaborate, reflecting imperial Rome. 48 It is important to realize that not all Christians were ever part of the Catholic Church and these groups were persecuted by the hierarchical church to virtual extinction for their adherence to the simple Gospel. This is well documented by E. H. Broadbent in his book, The Pilgrim Church, (see also the recent video, A Lamp in the Dark: The Untold History of the Bible). 49 When Constantine shifted the seat of the empire to Constantinople in 330AD, the bishop of Rome became the strongest individual in Rome for extended periods. This resulted in Roman citizens looking to the bishop for temporal as well as spiritual leadership. 50 The union of church and state under Constantine led to secularization of the church. The influx of barbarians and the growth of episcopal power resulted in changes of worship as the barbarians, used to worshiping images, were accommodated. The logical outcome was the veneration of angels, saints, relics, pictures, and statues. Because of the close association to the monarchical state, the church took on a more aristocratic form, with great distinctions between the clergy and the laity. 51 It was finally in the fifth century that the Bishop of Rome elevated himself to supremacy by assuming the old heathen title Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of religion throughout the empire, and everyone understood. [Bishop] Leo, not the emperor, had shouldered responsibility for the Eternal City. Peter had come to power. 52 The dark ages were beginning as the Scripture was denied to the common man in his own tongue. A number of deviations from the simple message of first century Christianity began to develop that formed what eventually became Roman Catholicism. These included the Mass (including t ransubstantiation), and the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. The Catholic belief of transubstantiation is that not only is Christ present, but the bread and wine are physically changed into the actual body and blood of our Lord. Regarding purgatory, according to Catholic doctrine, All who die in God s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 53 In order to purchase your way, or those of your loved ones, out of the purifying fires of purgatory, the sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church were said to shorten the time. As the corruptions of the Catholic Church became oppressive and greedy, there were those such as Luther who split from the control of the Roman pontiff and formed the basis of the Protestant Reformation. The problem though persisted. Even though hierarchical Christianity was reformed, many of the unscriptural practices remained within Protestant traditions. What does this have to do with Revelation chapter 17 you might ask? We now must look at mystery religions to answer the question, from where did false religious practices originate? We have already seen that pagan practices infiltrated the church from about the time of Constantine. The Last Days Babylonian Mystery Religion REV 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. Revelation 17 and 18 do not follow chronologically after the bowl judgments. These chapters present the ecclesiastical, political, and commercial Babylonian systems whose doom was prophesied earlier (Rev 14:8; 48 Earle E. Cairns, CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE CENTURIES, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1954, 1981, p. 157. See also: Loraine Boettner, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, Phillipsburg, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962, p. 126. 49 E. H. Broadbent, THE PILGRIM CHURCH, Tracing the Pathway of the Forgotten Saints from Pentecost to the Twenthieth Century, Grand Rapids, MI: Gospel Folio Press, 1931. Christian J. Pinto, A LAMP IN THE DARK: The Untold History of the Bible, Adullam Films, November 12, 2009. 50 Cairns, CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE CENTURIES, p. 157. Bruce L. Shelley, CHURCH HISTORY IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982, 1995, pp. 136-138. 51 Cairns, CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE CENTURIES, pp. 159, 160. 52 Shelley, CHURCH HISTORY IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, p. 140. Bracketed word is mine. See also: Boettner, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, p. 125. 53 CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1994, p. 291. 6

16:19). 54 These events probably take place at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, preceding the the bowl judgments by a considerable time. 55 The Harlot represents false religion. In the Old Testament, Israel played the harlot (Jeremiah 3:6-9). Waters refers to peoples, nations, races and languages (Revelation 17:15). The harlot has such influence over masses of people that she has been able to control entire nations. We could be speaking of religious systems such as Secular Humanism, Papal Rome, or both? The woman therefore represents a spiritual or religious witness. When we speak of the Bride of Christ we see that a woman is also a symbol representing the church (Revelation 21:9). This reinforces the interpretation of the woman representing a spiritual or religious witness. Therefore the symbol for the end-time "church" is a woman. The woman of Revelation chapter 21, the Bride of Christ, represents a spiritual religious notion, a church assembly, and many saved people. Therefore the woman of Revelation 17 represents a religious movement. 56 The woman of chapter 17 though is a whore. The woman is the personification of false religion. There are two types of fornication, physical and spiritual. These verses refer to spiritual fornication. Because she is a great whore, the religious movement is large which can be seen by Revelation 17:15. 57 REV 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. This large religious movement is spread into many nations and languages. 58 This Babylonian system will spread into every area of society, including pagan religions, apostate Christianity, and political systems. 59 It will finally result in the end-time harlot one-world religion depicted by Revelation 17. It can be likened to leaven. We have already seen in the previous lesson that leaven represents something evil false doctrine. MAT 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Jesus was warning the Church to avoid false doctrine. If, as we have seen, the woman of Revelation 17 represents the church or religion, and the leaven is sin or false doctrine, then the church is to beware of the corrupting influence of sin or false doctrine. Now notice who the Harlot has perverted. She has committed spiritual fornication with the kings and emperors of the world through her false religion. That religion ruled the lives of the people. 60 That she rides the beast indicates that her false religion dominates the civil power. The beast (the Antichrist system) is the same as that of Revelation chapter 13, of which we will have more to say in the next lesson. The beast represents the final empire. The character of this empire is totally blasphemous and its scarlet color signifies that it is sinful and bloodthirsty beyond belief. 61 REV 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand as a vehicle of His vengeance on all the people. The cup was of gold to represent the splendor and wealth of Babylon. Babylon was the golden head (first empire) of Nebuchadnezzar's image found in Daniel chapter 2. 62 The word abomination is used in Scripture to express idolatrous worship and the immoral practices associated with it. In this passage it expresses the woman s polluted character and idolatrous practices. Those who partake of the harlot s poisonous cup of idolatry are destined to perish with her. 63 54 Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 189. 55 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 243. 56 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 4-9. Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 7. See also: Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 190. 57 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 9, 10. 58 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 10, 11. 59 Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 190. 60 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 11, 12. 61 Ironside, REVELATION, p. 186. Phillips, EXPLORING REVELATION, p. 204. 62 Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, A COMMENTARY: CRITICAL, EXPERIMENTAL, AND PRACTICAL ON THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, Vol. II, Part II, p. 175. 63 Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 191. 7

JER 51:7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Part of the initiation into the mysteries was to drink intoxicating mysterious beverages of wine, honey, water, and flour. 64 Woman With Cup 65 The woman was rich. Purple was the color of nobility and kings and was a costly color. The Harlot also wore scarlet, which is the color of the Dragon and the Beast. The woman was rich and was also morally filthy or degenerate. We are therefore looking for a religious system that talked about holiness, but allowed immorality. 66 The leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches are also arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and precious stones and pearls. The Catholic priests lift high a golden cup described as a "mystery." 67 The Queen of Heaven REV 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The word Babylon in this verse represents both an ecclesiastical and political Babylon. Ecclesiastical Babylon in this context is referring to a one-world religious system involving apostate Christianity and non-christian religions headquartered in Rome. Political Babylon refers to a revival of the Roman Empire into a one-world government. 68 Speaking of Babylon, Jeremiah says: JER 50:38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. The use of images is a characteristic of the Roman Catholic system. This practice was unknown in Christianity until the Babylonian mysteries were grafted into the ritualized church. The old pagan idols were simply renamed to become the idols of Christianity. 69 The Roman Catholic Church soon, in effect if not in admission, deified Mary with the doctrine of Mary's Assumption into heaven, and then crowning her queen of heaven. This is a continuation of the mystery religion of Semiramis. We can see Semiramis depicted as the queen of heaven in Jeremiah 7:18. JER 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 64 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 4, 5. 65 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 5. 66 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 12, 13. 67 Hunt, A WOMAN RIDES THE BEAST, p. 68. LaHaye, REVELATION ILLUSTRATED AND MADE PLAIN, p. 236. Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p. 245. 68 Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 192. 69 Ironside, REVELATION, p. 193. 8

We have only one mediator, the Lord Jesus, yet Catholics believe Mary to be "Mediatrix," although supposedly dependent on Christ. There has been a move to make her co-redemptrix. This would make her equal with Jesus in our redemption. 70 1TI 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; No matter what she is called, from the time of Nimrod she is Semiramis of Babylon, and Tammuz is her child. Catholics believe that Mary is Queen of Heaven. 71 Semiramis had herself deified as "Queen of Heaven," and her son Tammuz, was thought of as "god." 72 Isis of Egypt was known as the mother of god. The theologians of Alexandria, Egypt first applied this title to Mary. 73 The Phoenician goddess of fertility, Astarte (Semiramis), was associated with the crescent moon. Mary is pictured by the Catholics as standing on a crescent moon. 74 From the goddess Astarte we get our word Easter. Easter customs, such as making "hot cross buns," reflect remembrance of making cakes for the Queen of Heaven. 75 Easter eggs are represented in many pagan cultures, and signify the miraculous birth of Venus (Ast arte) from an egg fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. Fishes rolled it to the bank, and doves hatched it. To the church, Easter became a symbol of Christ's resurrection. That the Easter egg is associated with Astarte is clear from the name Easter. In other traditions, the egg represents rebirth from the Ark after the Flood. This was later corrupted. 76 Mystery "Mystery" indicates that the harlot has a religious nature - mystical, spiritualistic. The words "mysterium fide" are pronounced during the Catholic Mass "at the alleged transformation of the bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Christ." 77 The Harlot dominated the seven great empires supporting her. Spiritualist mediums or people who practiced witchcraft controlled the leaders of the empires from the time of Egypt until the fall of the Roman Empire. Even Hitler consulted the occult and Nancy Reagan consulted horoscopes. "Babylon the Great" identifies the Harlot Religious System with Babylon and every successive gentile empire. "Mother of Harlots" indicates that every evil and destructive thing on earth results from the operation of Satan through her. "Mother of Abominations of the Earth" reveals her total rejection by God. The whore was born in Babylon. To identify the end-time religious system, we are to look for a religious system with Babylonian beliefs that have spread into every continent, nation, and language. We are also to look for a religious system that has given birth to many more religions. 78 The Babylonian mystery religious system has done just that, fostering numerous mystery religions and even infiltrating others. REV 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. She has attacked people who disagreed with or condemned her and her evil lifestyle. We are to look for a religious system with Babylonian doctrines that has slaughtered the saints. 79 The church (apostate Christendom), both Catholic and Protestant, has slaughtered other Christians for their beliefs for centuries. There is only one whore. The final religious system will blend the daughter systems so that there will be only one final merged religious system. 80 The woman is under judgement and will be destroyed by God (Rev 17:1, 16). Likewise, the beast will go to perdition (Rev 17:8). This also refers to the Babylonian religious system originally founded by Nimrod, which will be restored briefly, then totally destroyed. 81 70 Hunt, A WOMAN RIDES THE BEAST, pp. 357, 358, 447. George J. Dyer (edit.), AN AMERICAN CATHOLIC CATECHISM, New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1975, p. 85. Austin Flannery, O.P. (edit.), VATICAN COUNCIL II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Northport, NY: Costello Publishing Company, 1975, 1986, 1992, 1996, Vol. 1, p. 419. William Webster, ROMAN CATHOLIC TRADITION: Claims and Contradictions, Battle Ground, WA: Christian Resources Inc., 1994, 1999, pp. 45-47. 71 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, pp. 18, 26. Flannery, VATICAN COUNCIL II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Vol. 1, p. 418. Webster, ROMAN CATHOLIC TRADITION: Claims and Contradictions, pp. 47, 48. 72 Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p. 193. 73 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 18. 74 Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, p. 19. Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, p. 307. 75 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 103, 143. 76 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 109, 110. 77 Hunt, A WOMAN RIDES THE BEAST, p. 68. 78 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 13-15. 79 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, p. 18. 80 Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, pp. 248, 249. Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, pp. 18, 19. 81 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, p. 20. 9

The Merging - The World Parliament of Religions In 1993 a World Parliament of Religions met in Chicago, Illinois and recommended a spiritual cooperation. The intention is to set up a separate United Nations of Religion on an equal footing with the political United Nations able to speak for all faiths. 82 All the religions were present, Catholics, Protestants, Pagan, Eastern and other religions. The Pope himself has met with spiritual leaders of all religions, Eastern, Muslim, Indian Witch Doctors, among others and proclaimed that we all worship the same God. Evangelicals and Catholics have signed a document called EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER furthering ecumenism. 83 It appears that we are entering a new age of spiritual compromise leading to a melding of doctrines for a final religious system. Tim LaHaye observes: This unity movement should not, however, be limited to apostate Christianity. We can expect to see it move toward amalgamating all religions of the world under Rome's headship because our text states that the religious system at the end time will be a one-world religion: "where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues ([Rev 17] v.15). This can only mean a one-world religious system. 84 And again he states: In India we find that Hinduism is so parallel to the practices of Romanism that many of the Hindus can become Roman Catholics and need not give up Hinduism. Since the religions of the world all have idolatry in common, it would be a simple thing for them to amalgamate on a common basis. What do they care whether they are worshiping Semiramis and Tammuz or Mary and Jesus, just so they have an idol before which to bow down. 85 Whatever the final form the one-world mystery religion takes, we can be sure that it will be a continuation of the satanic mystery religion began long ago on the Plains of Shinar. APPENDIX FIGURE 1 MOTHER AND CHILD 86 82 Carlisle, A WORLD "CHURCH" IS PLANNED FOR 2000 A. D, p. 67. 83 Hunt, A WOMAN RIDES THE BEAST, p. 413. 84 LaHaye, REVELATION ILLUSTRATED AND MADE PLAIN, p. 234. Bracketed words added for clarity. 85 LaHaye, REVELATION ILLUSTRATED AND MADE PLAIN, p. 236. 86 Hislip, THE TWO BABYLONS, pp. 19, 29. 10

FIGURE 2 THE ALTAR OF ZEUS AND STAGE AT OBAMA NOMINATION, 2008 11